Does Siren Kimmie Float?

With a nickname like Siren, one would have to assume I am a fan of the sea.  I have been smitten with water since I was a child.  Meanwhile, Gerald has always offered up a safe respect for anything involving the potential for drowning.  We went to Carolina Beach once and he sat on the shore as I dove through the crashing waves.  He nearly had a heart attack each time I went under, fearing I was never coming back up.  He was content with me sitting beside him on dry land watching the sun go down, enjoying the ocean breeze.

Last month Gerald and I spent a week camping at Cheraw State Park.  We grew envious of the kayakers enjoying an idyllic paddle around Lake Juniper.  I was a bit shocked when Gerald said it looked like fun; I remained skeptical as he assured me, so long as he had a life vest, kayaking would safely fit into his comfort zone.  I thought this was just a casual conversation until the following week when he began sending me links to different kayaks.

He was serious!  Hell yeah, we're getting kayaks!  

Focusing on the logistics of transporting two kayaks with the rooftop tent already taking up so much real estate on the truck bed, I started shopping for a cheapy blow-up style on Amazon.  Meanwhile, Gerald had his own ideas.  He was full-stop against a blow-up kayak.  No matter what built-in safety features were offered he would not even consider something that could deflate underneath him.  Our focus was about to shift as Gerald offered up a link for the Oru folding kayak.

What-in-the-floating-milk-carton-hell is this? I nearly spit out my coffee as I watched a sheet of semi-tranparent plastic fold up into an origami-style boat.

"You've got to be kidding me," I said.

"There is no way you are going to feel safe in that thing."

"It's cool," he replied.

 "Just watch the videos."

Trying to keep an open mind, we slogged through a plethora of reviews.  It wasn't long before we landed on footage of an Oru that had sprung a leak.  That was a "hells no" moment; the Oru was officially a no-go.

Thinking there must be other folding kayaks on the market, the search continued.  If the most important aspect was sturdiness, that box was instantly checked by Tucktec.  We stared on wide-eyed at a demonstration involving a violent attack upon the kayak with a hammer.  Now this is the Kayak for us! We watched every available review and couldn't find anything that would sway us away from this option.

Ding, ding, ding... We have a winner.

Introducing the Tucktec folding Kayak.  Made in the Carolinas out of recycled plastic, boasting a sturdy, easily transportable design, it comes complete with a three-year warranty, and great price; arriving at Siren Estates next week.  (Get your very own Tucktec kayak here:  https://alnk.to/44Txvey)

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DISCORD

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1995 Coleman Utah: Reupholstering + Drapes

I finally decided on the fabric for the cushions, seat backs, and drapes.  We wanted something a big stronger for the bottoms so this olive canvas worked great.  Found a blended fabric with birds and leaves in a complimentary color for the backs. The drapes are soft jersey fabric which I decided to sew on to the existing fabric - this gives a great room-darkening effect while allowing me to utilize the original drape clips (I did have to sew a few clips back on which were being held by sticky back velcro that fell off).  I also added a chandelier because... well, duh...  And some macrame shelves work perfectly for our clothing or personal items.

1995 Coleman Utah Gets Some Fancy Lighting and Ambiance

In keeping with the "glamping" theme we added some new LCD ceiling lighting.  These are remote control and they can change colors and do all kinds of fancy things.  We prefer a soft glow.  This lighting was easy to install, and it is so much better than the OG camper lighting.  We also added, a bit of ambiance lighting, and some cushy bedding.  Meanwhile, the old yellowed door has been covered with chalkboard paper (it's magnetic too!)

The down-alternative comforters are so cozy and the

cream color adds a clean brightness to the camper.

A coupe of well placed battery operated candles give it a little something...

This is the old rope lighting we were using but note the "fireplace" heater.

It's the perfect size to warm this little pop-up and 

keep us toasty when coupled with electric blankets.

I am in love with this black chalkboard wallpaper on the door.

It really dressed it up and makes a lovely backdrop for seasonal wreaths.

It's also magnetic (though the magnets need to be on the strong side).

Stay tuned!  We ordered fabric for the cushions and drapery

1995 Coleman Utah New Wallpaper and Wiring

Some observations right off the bat that we knew we wanted to address.  The purple drapes had to go, and we will be updating the cushions to something that suits the "glamping" theme we have in mind.  Meanwhile, the original owners painted the cabinets white which is now a bit outdated, and add the paint job was truthfully a bit rough.  It was riddled with runs and sags.  They will all need sanded down and repainted.  We started with the seat bottoms, sanding out the runs, and covering them with recycled wood contact paper.  We also got our hands on some chrome contact paper and covered the fridge.  We are also planning to replace the countertops as the main one is warped.  Meanwhile, as Gerry was troubleshooting an intermittent tail light issue he uncovered a hot mess of a wiring job that needed taken care of.

Before and After the Refrigerator Refacing

Reclaimed Wood Wallpaper

Gerald Fixing the Old Wiring

1995 Coleman Fleetwood Utah Before Pictures

Welcome back and thank you for joining us on this adventure.  I wanted to post a few pictures of what the 1995 Coleman Utah looked like before we started doing our updates.  These are the pictures of the camper before Uncle and Auntie purchased it back in 2022.  The previous owners recovered the seat cushions and did some new drapery.  They also put down this faux wood flooring. 

Uncle and Auntie made a few changes after they purchased the Utah.  The seat cushions were covered in a black fabric, and the backs were covered mostly in a palm pattern and then two were a cream-colored fabric.  They also changed up the flooring to a different more modern faux wood which withstands moisture.

The OG 1995 Coleman Fleetwood Utah

Welcome back to Siren Kimmie Adventures' blog!  Before we get into our camper and what updates we have been doing, I wanted to share a bit about the original 1995 Coleman Fleetwood Utah.

The 1995 Fleetwood Coleman Utah Popup Camper was introduced in mid-year 1995.  It was one of the last campers released with the old metal sandwich roof instead of their new ABS roof.  I've been told this is a good thing because apparently, Coleman had a lot of issues with the new ABS roofing.  Because the Utah was only out for a short period before its floor plan was changed in 1996, it is a bit of a unicorn.  It had not made it into production when the 1995 Coleman Popup brochure was printed so it was relegated to an insert once it was added to the lineup.  I was fortunate enough to find a (poor) photocopy of the brochure (pictured below).  I also stumbled across a video showcasing a walk-through of the Utah (this one is not ours, but it's the exact model).

An example of the Utah (not Siren Kimmie Adventures')

Here is a copy of the brochure insert for those interested (t's a bit rough but it's the only copy I have been able to find after scouring the internet for days):

Here are some images of the interior of an original Utah (again not Siren Kimmie Adventures').  I am documenting this here just for posterity.

Obviously this is not what the Siren Kimmie Adventures' Utah looked like when we took possession.  The former owners did a paint job inside and added some purple drapery.  My auntie, in the short time she had it, did some re-upholstery.  But the walk-through of our Utah will be featured in the next Siren Kimmie Adventures' blog post.  Stay tuned!

XOXO Siren Kimmie

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